Who Are You Praying For?

  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—Ephesians 6:18

 Who’s praying?  I ask that because I realize how unbelievably blessed I have been because someone has always been praying for me---my whole life I have always known that I had not just one person, but multiple people calling my name out to God.  Even when I when I wasn’t living my life for Christ, people were still praying for me.  Is that the reason my faith in Jesus is so strong?  Did all the prayers keep me away from harm and evil, or keep harm and evil away from me?  Would I be who I am today if I didn’t have people praying for me?  I would like to think that no matter what I would have found Jesus, but I don’t know.  I do know that those prayers were heard and I do know that those prayers certainly impacted my life---as to what extent, I will probably never know.  So why have I been so fortunate when some people never had one person say a prayer for them---I don’t know, but I can’t help but think of Luke 12:48…But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.  Is more required of me?  Yes, it is.  Am I living like more is required of me?  Not like I should be.  So I say all this to ask you the same question I have been asking myself…who are you praying for?  For years I have prayed for every member of my family daily, I would pray for those who are sick, I would pray for those in need of something, and I would pray for those who have asked me to pray, but what about those that don’t ask, those that are not a part of my family, or those that are not sick or seem to be in need---what about them?  This all hit me a few months ago as I was praying for my son.  I was driving down the road alone saying a prayer for my son when I was overwhelmed with the thought that not all 16 year old young men have someone praying for them like I pray for my son.  In fact, the thought of one particular young man came to mind and I began to weep for him.  Then I started praying for him, I prayed for him like he was my son.  I still pray for him and others that God lays on my heart. 

Funny thing …before this moment I always thought this scripture meant that I should work harder for the Lord, that I should try even harder to live a Godly life, and that I am more accountable to God.  While I still believe it does mean all these things, I also think it means to simply pay it forward.  It is a given that I will  pray for my family daily,  however, when I pray for those that may not have anyone praying for them I feel like I am fulfilling this scripture.  So I challenge you to find someone to pray for---not sure who?  Be still and listen to the voice of God and I promise he will lay someone on your heart, someone you may not even know, but someone who needs to be lifted to the Lord.  So who are you praying for?